Humility, hedonism, heat, height

Before leaving St George, UT we visited the winter home of Brigham Young (founder of the Mormon Church), a graceful and relatively simple house in a pretty setting, used now as a museum.  An interesting character who tried very hard to help people in need and do the right thing.  When they first arrived in St George, he left 309 families there to start a community, they dealt well with the Paiute Indians and created a large town for the times, out of very little in an unforgiving landscape, having to travel 30 miles (a day's journey) just for wood.

Drove to Las Vegas -what a contrast!! Neither of us felt particularly comfortable there and although we took the bus tour down "The Strip" to admire the lights and the glitz, we were glad to leave it behind.

Went from LV to Fresno, CA via Death Valley, which was a mere 85F - after experiencing 103F a few days ago we found that quite cool!  It has interesting geology including salt pans, sand dunes and we had our lunch under palm trees at a small oasis.  Leaving Death Valley behind we travelled alongside the Sierra Nevada in order to get to Fresno, CA - 503 miles in one day - a slight glitch in the planning process there!

The Sequoia national park is spectacular - neither of us realised that it is on top of a mountain (approximately 7000 feet above sea level).  It was a blissful 73F so almost jacket weather.  The trees are so beautiful, but sadly the 4 year drought is taking its toll on the forest, the King's Canyon, the surrounding countryside and the farmland down in the valley.  It must be heartbreaking to be a farmer here at the moment - having to choose which fields to water and which to leave to die.





Peter: Happened on Exeter, California today, in the middle of the St Joaquin valley, the central valley that grows most of the nation's fruit and nuts. (Appropriate, you might think, as I was born in Exeter, Devon). Actually a very nice bit of "small town, USA". Interesting murals about the history of the town, founded by two chaps / guys from Exeter, UK in 1911. Serendipity rules!

Planes, cacti and rocks. many rocks

Sorry about the delay, folks... Been busy eating up the miles and staring at the extraordinary landscapes of North Arizona and South Utah.

But before that, last Friday, we spent several hours at the Pima Air and Space Museum and had a tour of Davis Monthan AFB - the US Air Force aircraft recycling centre and graveyard. The only part of the US Air Force that makes a profit! It was hot, real hot, d**n hot (as in Good norning Vietnam) but we survived... The museum had a bigger collection of aircraft than Peter had ever seen, including the ones he used to make models of as a child! And plenty of British ones.


The next day we set off for Flagstaff in the north of Arizona, visiting the Saguaro park where the typical western film cacti grow in profusion, seemingly waving arms in the air.









On Sunday, we had the privilege of visiting the Grand Canyon: more impressive tha ever. Weather had cooled and we were at 6000 feet so quite pleasant. Ish. Then on to Blanding Utah through the painted desert: pastel coloured hills - quite beautiful in a low-key sort of way.




We then hit Monument Valley- we had seen it on TV and in films but the reality is stunning. Many pictures taken.

Yesterday, through the Arches National park. What can we say? Again monumental geology in dark shades of red. Rocks perched on to columns in seemingly impossible balance. And of course arches...

Today to Las Vegas after a visit or two in the town where we spent the night: St George, Utah.
3000 miles on the clock. I will comment at some time (and length) on driving the USA - an experience in itself...
Onward... (Sorry about the slightly messy appearance of this post, we have to be out of the motel by 11am.)

UFOs, geology and relative time

The visit to the UFO Museum and Research Centre was interesting – the staff friendly and helpful.  Kath thinks the whole thing was a cover up by the US Government for something scary and secret to do with the possibility of Russia invading!! They certainly had the locals scared witless with death threats if they kept to the story of a UFO.  Apparently the sightings continue to this day and who are we to question?

The drive to El Paso was through some great scenery, starting with low hills, scrub and multi-coloured sedimentary rock, changing to pine-clad mountains, which form part of the Mescalero Apache reservations.  At one time, we emerged to view, on the horizon, a white line of ground: The missile range called White Sands – It really is white and is not sand but gypsum (plaster!)

El Paso is the busiest place that we have visited so far and had Peter clinging to his seat as Kath negotiated the unfamiliar road systems!! 

With El Paso disappearing behind us we headed for Tucson, Arizona. As we crossed the state line - believe it or not - it started to rain!  We are hoping to visit Alan Bean’s (moonwalker) gallery and also Pima Aerospace Museum and the Davis -Montan Air Force Base where old US AF aircraft go to die in the desert.

Peter:  No-one tells you when you travel through to a new time-zone. We went from Mountain Time –zone in Roswell to El Paso on Mountain Time though we only discovered that  when we chatted with the locals at the Laundromat. We assumed El Paso would be on Central Time as it is part of Texas. So, we started our washing at 5:15 and we ended at 5:15 an hour later. Einstein would be proud of us...

Tuesday - mixed day

Abilene has little to recommend it apart from the splendid Frontiers Texas museum and "experience". You too can caught in a buffalo stampede or a shoot-out in a bar. A very good trip through the history of Texas from Mammoths to Wyatt Earp via "Indians", outlaws and steer.
Then on the road towards Roswell. It took us fully half an hour to leave Abilene because of road works and the fact that the satnav knew best and kept sending us there. Then miles of nothing but flattish countryside, wind turbines, nodding donkeys (pumping oil - slowly; terrible stink) and fields of something unrecognisable... Sky turned grey on the northern horizon and I hoped for a thunderstorm. (Be careful what you wish for.). Grey sky moved towards us, thunder and llightning ("very very frightening") and by the time we stopped for "gas", The atmosphere was made of water, the temprerature dropped 35 deg F in a few minues and the pumps packed up. Thankfully the lady from the station helped us out but Peter ended up (no exaggeration) drenched. Then back on the road and within half an hour of running the heating at full blast, dry again. And the weather returned to hellish hot.
Tiday to the UFO museum (yes, I know we are sad.). We have not yet been abducted by small grey aliens.
After that, a leisurely drive to El paso, with Tucson Arizona tomorrow.
Kath: I fulfilled one of my "bucket list" wishes by driving along a straight road in the middle of nowhere.  It just kept on going without a bend in sight (and rarely another car) - wonderful! I half expected to see Superman standing by the side of the road looking for a lift.

On the road!

We left Knoxville yesterday morning and arrived in Menphis by early evening (56mph average!).
Today, Graceland in the morning - much smaller than expected... But an interesting insight into "The King" and his peculiar tastes. Weather still too hot for humans but much air conditioning available. Daisy Bear duly photographed in front of the welcome sign - see her on FB,
On then to Texarkana (never heard of it? Neither had I!) on the border of Arkansas and Texas (whence the name). Even the post office has a half in each state!
In the evening, we went looking for dinner along the local pike and, fincing nothing - Sunday night - we ended up in the city center, It was deserted, ("I went to Philadelphia but it was closed"). We had almost decided to return to a Pizza Something when we spotted a noisy restaurant / cool joint / tavern. There we met some people on the terrace who had been in Bath recently and visited the abbey! There ensued a very pleasant couple of hours of conversation and really nice food. Thank heaven for heathen restauranteurs who open on Sunday night.
Tomorrow Abilene, as in cowboy films... Then hopefully on to the back roads to Roswell. If you hear nothing more from us, assume we have been abducted by some passing aliens...
Kath:  I also enjoyed Graceland. It wasn't anywhere near over the top as I had assumed it would be, he bought it as a family home in 1957 and that's really what it is - yes, there are lots of chandeliers but his kitchen for instance was very ordinary.  I had heard of Texarcana because I think there's a song about it.  Onwards to Abilene!! I'm enjoying the driving which I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about.

On our way...

Written between food and films yesterday.
Here we are at 34000 ft above  a lot of water.  3000 miles to go.
Delta Airlines have the best safety briefing I have seen: treated as a comedy,  it keeps you riveted and you may even remember the information...
Daisy  Bear is safely in the hold in my suitcase and I fear she may have something to say about this when we liberate her...
WHO IS Daisy Bear?  I hear some of you cry. Well,  she presided at a teddy  bears picnic on top of Snowdon a few months ago in support of Brain Tumour  Research and may well have achieved a Guinness world record.  Shortly after that, Emma,  who organised this as well  as other fundraising stunts for BTR, died after an operation. The fundraising goes on and Daisy Bear is now on her first international outing,  continuing the fundraising. She  will be reporting her adventure on Facebook- make her a friend. Her fundraising Web page is at https://www.justgiving.com/Emma-Welch5/ .
In  about 5 hours we will arrive in Atlanta,  then on to Knoxville TN,  where my son and his family live: Base Camp for our two month peregrination (look  it up) of the US of A.
Kath writing  now :  I can't  believe  we are actually doing this! [I am terrified!] I'm  pretty excited although  taking off and  landing are definitely not my  favourite  activities.  We had  a  short delay at Amsterdam whilst some baggage  was removed from the hold because there  had been a  delay on a connecting  flight but we seem to be back on track now.  They are  feeding  us well!
Note : all counsellors and student counsellors should see the film "Inside  Out".  Priceless.
More soon...

We prepare to launch...

This blog is meant to chronicle our progress during the 2-month trip around 
the USA in the Autumn/Fall of 2015.
This trip is a large part of Peter's Bucket List, to be done before age 
condemns him to gentle decrepitude, slippers and nice cups of tea.
My companion on this trip will be our old friend Kath, whom we have known 
for nearly thirty years. She is much more enthusiastic about spending a lot 
of time behind the wheel than my wife Linda.
To date, we have agreed an outline of the itinerary and the places we would 
like to visit, although these are subject to revision in the light of 
realities during the trip. It all seems to add up to 13777 (US) miles - 
cruise control will be used extensively. And hopefully sanity will be 
preserved...
Much useful information was gleaned from people on the CouchSurfing 
website's 50+ and Virtual Tourist's USA forums - for which many thanks. 
Trivago was also found to be helpful with m/hotels.
Flights are booked: 3 flights both ways - out towards the East, then West 
to the US and then  a short internal flight to get us to Philip's town of 
Knoxville, Tennessee, our starting point. Vice-versa on the way home.
We will be traveling around the LowerStates from the 1st of September 
to the 29th of October and hope still to cover the West and New England. 
With a bit of driving to get from one to the other...
A car has been booked. Motel chains have been investigated and the cost 
of living - food, drink, laundry, etc - continually re-estimated. 
Looks good at present.

More as we get nearer to the 1st of September!